Aeroelastic correction for nonlinear aerodynamic data in wind tunnel tests

A correction method for model deformation effects in wind tunnel tests is developed based on NASTRAN static aeroelastic analysis integrated with CFD data. Flexible To Rigid Ratio (FTR) of longitudinal aerodynamic derivatives for different angles of attack are calculated by NASTRAN with CFD correction, which is used to obtain aerodynamic characteristics of the undeformed model. Corrected aerodynamic characteristics of a high-aspect-ratio wingbody model under different circumstances of Mach number and dynamic pressure suggest that the proposed method largely improves the correction in the nonlinear part of C_L and C_m curve. A minor discrepancy exists between corrected data and extrapolated results at different dynamic pressures, which is at most 0.015 for C_L and 0.005 for C_m respectively. Moreover, the method is robust enough to gain accurate corrected results under different circumstances and efficient enough for large scale application in aircraft design.